Situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as of September 15

Situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border

● After almost a day of shelling and fighting on the border, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a ceasefire. The agreement went into effect at 20:00 on September 14, Secretary of the Armenian Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said. There has been no confirmation from Azerbaijan yet.

● According to official information, 105 Armenian soldiers and 50 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the fighting. In Baku, at a briefing at the Ministry of Defense on September 14, still more casualties were reported without a specific number.

● Yerevan is also calm after a turbulent night. Thousands of people took to the streets and tried unsuccessfully to break into Parliament. The protests began after Prime Minister Pashinyan made a vague statement that he was ready to sign a document with Azerbaijan that would “provide security and stable peace specifically for Armenia’s 29,800 square kilometers.” This was followed by clarifications from the authorities, including the prime minister himself. He stated that no documents have been signed nu Armenia and Azerbaijan and were not being prepared for signing. He also stressed that discussion of any documents would be done in public. Representatives of his team consider what happened yesterday in Yerevan “a provocation and manipulation.”

● Pashinyan stated that “during the invasion of Armenia on May 12, 2021, Azerbaijan occupied 40sqm of Armenian territory. Azerbaijan has gained another 10sqm after the latest offensive.

● Baku categorically rjects the wording “seizure of territory” and instead speaks of a fair restoration of the real border between the two countries.

● The disputed sections of the border should be studied by the bilateral commission on delimitation and demarcation of borders. It was created in the spring of 2022, but due to disputes, has not yet begun its work.

● Today, September 15, the UN Security Council for the second time in the last two days will discuss events in Azerbaijan and Armenia. On September 14, members of the UN Security Council recommended that the parties solve their problems by peaceful and diplomatic means.

● Today, September 15, the first group of the CSTO mission (a post-Soviet military alliance led by Russia) headed by Chief of the Joint Staff Anatoly Sidorov is due to arrive in Armenia. The head of the CSTO mission, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas, plans to travel to Armenia next week. The mission will include representatives of the CSTO member countries, though which have not been made public.

● Social networks report that Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have vetoed the decision of the CSTO to intervene in hostilities on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. There has been no official confirmation yet.

● On September 15-16 Samarkand, Uzbekistan, hosts a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) with the participation of regional leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Azerbaijan and Armenia are observer countries in the SCO. The possibility of a trilateral Putin-Aliyev-Pashinyan meeting was also not ruled out. There is a report that Putin and Aliyev have arrived in Samarkand. Pashinyan canceled his trip.

● Putin is also expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the summit. The Turkish leader will come to Uzbekistan at the invitation of the Russian president, since Turkey is not a member of the SCO. A discussion of the latest developments in the region is expected.

Situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border